KDE Programs Naming Convention

[Kelly L. Fulks]

WANSTALL Malcolm wrote:
> Norberto Bensa wrote:
>> Would you had a problem if it was named Kcontact? Kconqueror?
> 
> No, actually that seems to make it look more silly. As someone pointed out earlier, I have less of an issue with the core products, more the 3rd party ones tend to be pushing the limit...realising these core ones do have some brand behind them it's a bit adventurous for me to want a change.
> 
>> Microsoft Word. It doesn't mean anything to me. Because guess what: I  
>> speak SPANISH! Would Microsoft rename it Microsoft Palabra? And while  
>> we are at it. What does Microsoft Word do? Is it a spellchecker?
> 
> I beg to differ, Microsoft Word _does_ mean something to you, as a branded product. You know _exactly_ what it does because of the amount of money behind the brand and all kinds of advertising. Products with less financial clout have to be more clever to be seen.
> 
>> On the other hand. OpenOffice Calc is named OpenOffice Planilla de  
>> Cálculo if you install language-pack-es and it is a big plus for us  
>> non-us/gb people ;)
> 
> That's a VERY clever feature of OOo and please note I'm not trying to take away from any software itself (especially not OOo since I use it, and all of the K* programs daily)
> 
>> And remember: not everyone speaks English... So what should be meanful  
>> to you, it's not to the other 6 billions people out there...
> 
> That's a valid point and I take that on board. I think we're both aiming at different points a little here, I'm not trying to argue with the internationalisation of KDE, I think that is fantastic, what I would like to see is some more creativity and thought put into the branding (thus naming) of top notch software. It does have a habit of scaring away some new people and I'd like to see the barriers to entry as low as possible. Possibly there is a new position to add to open source dev teams, even for little projects, someone with some marketing experience...someone from...the outside world. :)
> 
> -Mal
> 

The "core" products for KDE did not necessarily start as core products.
 At least some of what we now consider core products started as "third
party" products and have reached a point where they are now main
streamed into the core.  In one of your early messages you mentioned
Kontact, well that is relatively new.  You see it is comprised of
KMail, Kaddressbook, Korganizer, Aggregator, Knode, Knotes, etc.  And
even those were not necessarily core applications initially.

So if you were starting a new KDE based program and wanted to catch the
eye of the KDE community, you would likely want to name your program
with a K as the first letter.  There are multiple reasons for this
actually.  First, the community has bought into that branding just as
the Apple community has bought into the "i" branding.  Second, your
application would appear with the other KDE applications in most package
management systems and would thus be seen by folks looking for a KDE
program.  Third, you avoid a potential name change for your application
if it happens to become accepted into the core products.  All the core
products do not start with K, but many do.

You mention in your message that we know what Microsoft Word does
because of the branding and the money that Microsoft pours into it.  You
are correct, but KDE does not have the money poured into it that
Microsoft or Apple pour into their brands.  Such clever tricks as the K
help to build the recognition of the "brand".  I am, however, thankful
that they don't attempt to chase down everyone using words starting with
the letter K and sue them into submission, because they would be after
me (look at my name below).

-- 
Kelly L. Fulks
Home Account
near Huntsville, AL